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MMA: Buntan looks to make Filipinos proud at ONE Fight Night 10

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ABS-CBN News

<div class="embed-wrap"><figure data-feedback="fb:likes,fb:comments"><img alt="Filipino-American fighter Jackie Buntan. ONE Championship/Handout." src="https://sa.kapamilya.com/absnews/abscbnnews/media/2023/sports/04/17/20230417-buntan.jpg"/><figcaption>Filipino-American fighter Jackie Buntan. ONE Championship/Handout.</figcaption></figure></div>MANILA -- Though she was born and raised in the United States, Jackie Buntan has always been proud to represent her Filipino heritage. She has the chance to do just that on a global stage, when she takes on Australia&#x27;s Diandra Martin in a three-round strawweight Muay Thai clash at ONE Fight Night 10 in Redondo Beach, California on May 5.The historic card is ONE Championship&#x27;s maiden offering on American soil, with the promotion showcasing 22 fighters from 14 different countries across 11 matches. Buntan is the lone fighter of Filipino heritage on the fight card.&quot;I think it&#x27;s extremely important. Not just for me, or being in Muay Thai or being an athlete, that goes for whatever a Filipino-American is doing,&quot; she stated.&quot;Whether you&#x27;re an athlete or a non-athlete, we all have it in our hearts that we&#x27;re all very passionate. Filipinos are very passionate. They show their hearts on their sleeves, they have heart and they have grit. When you mix the two with combat sports, that&#x27;s where you&#x27;ll find greatness,&quot; she added.Buntan is taking her cue from former world champion Manny &quot;Pacman&quot; Pacquiao, saying: &quot;He has all of that, passion, grit, determination, resilience, I think it&#x27;s embedded in all of us.&quot;The match against Martin is a crucial one for Buntan, as a victory could move her an inch closer to a potential rematch with Smilla Sundell for the ONE Strawweight Muay Thai World Championship.With an opponent like Martin who&#x27;s known for her pressure offense, Buntan sees an opportunity to tighten her grip on the next shot at 26 pounds of gold.&quot;My fast hands will definitely be there, but I think they can just expect me to be an exciting fighter, I believe I am, so they can expect more excitement for this bout because I have new tools in my arsenal, a new style,&quot; she said.&quot;I expect you guys to see the same Jackie with a different mode of style in between.&quot;Buntan hopes that through her performance on the card, she will not only entertain Filipino fans but also inspire them.&quot;Any kind of job, the fact that you&#x27;re able to immigrate here, get accustomed to the new lifestyle, the American lifestyle, make it work for you and be successful at that, that&#x27;s such a tall order and I think it&#x27;s super important to have more role models showcasing that whether in sports, the medical field, the business field, wherever,&quot; she said.&quot;The fact that we all have similarities and know that someone like us can do it inspires more people, more young people in the world to believe in themselves, challenge themselves and be able to go after things that are hard,&quot; Buntan said.

Though she was born and raised in the United States, Jackie Buntan has always been proud to represent her Filipino heritage. 